Flaunt Weeekly
When Canute Neil Ellis tarted his music career in the late 1990s, sampling was taking off in the United States.
That trend became a norm that has helped introduce the work of classic songs and artistes to a new generation. Ellis, an artiste and producer, intends to do just that with Slingshothis recently released EP. On it, he samples songs that helped make gospel palatable to secular audiences. The Orlando, Florida-based Ellis collaborates with several contemporary Jamaican acts on the six-song project. He samples Lester Lewis’ Winner Man for Undefeatedalongside Zabbai, DJ Nicholas and Cario Young; and Marvia Providence’s Hear my Cry Oh Lord on his single My Crywhich he recorded with Golda McFarlane and Tiffany Hall.
He also teams with his wife Samantha Gooden and Ryan Chew on Rescue Mewhich samples The Grace Thrillers’ He Saw My Need.
“They are songs that have taken thousands [of people] through tough times, reminded us of what’s important, reminded us even in times when we can’t pray, who it is we can talk to, even if it’s not in big, flowery words,” said Ellis. “Revisiting these songs was one of the most fulfilling things that I have ever done. And I’ve done many projects.”
Ellis started as an audio engineer at the recording studio of Noel Willis, founder of The Grace Thrillers, one of the first gospel acts to break into the mainstream with songs like Can’t Even Walk and Jesus.
